An authoritative, enthusiastic, eminently readable slice of pop-culture history honoring a medium that sadly seems close to...
The golden age of radio as told by grizzled deejays, canny programmers and one passionate listener.
Over the past decade-plus, the advent of the iPod, podcasts and satellite radio has marginalized AM radio to the point that few bother with amplitude modulation unless they’re in their car and need some traffic and weather on “the 8s.” Unless listeners can choose exactly what it is they’re listening to, they simply won’t. Obviously, that wasn’t always the case; beginning in the early 1950s and climaxing sometime in the late ’80s, AM radio spread music and messages across the airwaves far more effectively than pre-cable network television. All these advancements and shifts within (and without) the medium beg the simple question, Was radio better then or now? At the very least, according to Fisher, in the beginning, pop radio was far more personal, colorful and affecting. A veteran Washington Post politics/culture columnist, Fisher presents a version of radio’s cultural development via a series of mini-biographies of AM heavyweights, like iconoclastic humorist and jazz lover Jean Shepard, maverick programmer Todd Storz, the effervescent Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow and oh-so-macho mouthpiece Tom Leykis, among others. The FM side of the dial is touched on only briefly, most memorably in the informative discussion about the roots of National Public Radio. As this book is at heart a celebration, Fisher focuses primarily on the positive, only briefly recounting such black marks as the oft-reported Alan Freed payola scandal and Steve Dahl’s infamous 1977 “Disco Demolition Night” in Chicago. Fisher (After the Wall, 1995) elicits engaging, often hilarious stories from his interview subjects, particularly the tale of Cousin Brucie’s 1965 encounter with the Beatles. Some might question the author’s choice of featured personalities—a chapter about Dick Biondi, for example, would have been welcome—but this is a Fisher-eye view of radio, and that’s more than acceptable.
An authoritative, enthusiastic, eminently readable slice of pop-culture history honoring a medium that sadly seems close to extinction.Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2007
ISBN: 0-375-50907-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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